Someone New
by Grimm-Inuoka004
Summary: He was a beast meant to be a weapon and the young girl was just another scapegoat to the village's eyes. He could see the loneliness in her eyes and instead of sending her away like the rest he decided to see if she could really tame a monster. A blood-thirsty maniac with the facade of a comrade. What was he thinking, of course not! At the very least she could be entertaining...
1. Prologue

**A/N:**** May be a bit rushed, but this was originally supposed to be a one-shot... I just ran out of time to put it all together. It's a simple short story, so if you like it that's awesome, if you don't well there's always something else. Told myself I wouldn't make another story til I finished one of the others, but this was just killing me. I had to, besides there isn't much on this pairing and I suppose I can squeeze one more into my schedule. Mind you this is just the prologue to get it started.**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Naruto**

**Someone New**

For years he had sat there at the edge of the rock where it towered high over a village. He was always watching the place where his home now became a part of others made up of stone and steel. He didn't mind, not anymore. He lived in the desert far longer than any creature on the earth. He was practically a part of the barren land; everywhere his feet would touch there would always be a sense of water to the grains that gently flowed past him like a soft river. His name was given to him like any other being brought into the world, cradled in the bosom of a loving mother. Her face was a tad difficult to remember, but her voice was so gentle and felt like a melody as she spoke to him kindly. He was born with the small ears and tail of the clan he was a part of, the fur colored the same as her hair which was dull, a giant contrast with the firey red of his own, but all the more beautiful. It was a shame he was far too young to understand her words then as a mere infant. After the passing of his dear mother after his birth, he was lerft completely alone in the land now empty of a caring heart.

He remembers that someone had taken him in and taught him well of the outside world, but they feared him because of his odd traits. The red hair blazing at the top of his head and the strange kanji with the word 'Love' written on him, the fur of his ears and tail, he was a being made from the desert is what they had claimed, said he was a demon and was to be used as a weapon rather than a creature to love and protect. He grew under their influence and once he learned of his ability to control sand at his will, he became all the more terrible to their eyes. The pain of words and searing cold glance worth a great portion of his childhood were enough to warp his mind into overkill. A weapon to protect himself from all.

He never minded the lives that roamed the streets of Sunagakure anymore, there was no reason to. He became more powerful than the Kazekage, no one could match up to his level. The sand he controlled easily was kept in a gourd strapped to his back and he sat there at his perch endlessly until he was called upon for a war, a mission, or something else related to assassination after all, that was all he was called for, meant for and known for. The monster of the desert. Gaara.

"We need someone to care for the young guardian living above the village." a gruff old voice said as the elderly man went about looking through various scrolls littered throughout the room, barely even noticing the girl standing at the doorway.

"He never comes out of the area unless for a mission, so we built him a home suitable for him to live in, but I doubt he is keeping himself healthy. A mission will come up soon regarding his assistance, he will need to be in tip top shape if he is to succeed." he coughed, bringing one hand up to cover his mouth while reading over a particular scroll .

"But sir, I am not even a ninja. I do not think I would qualify for such a task." The timid girl shrunk away from the entrance, hoping she could just slink back to her empty home.

"Nonsense, you'll be perfect for the job and the pay will be in your complete favor, I assure you."

The man closed up the scroll abruptly and swiftly turned to face her, tucking the object into his robes. "Come now, I have many other tasks to attend to. The mission won't be until a few months, you'll have more than enough time to pack your things and move into the tower at the mountain."

"I have to move?" she almost shouted. This was certainly not in the job description.

"Of course. To walk there everyday would be absolutely laughable." he cleared his throat soon after before bringing out a bright blue scroll. "Now sign your name here, miss..."

"It's Matsuri." she sighed, taking the offered pen and signing her name. It wasn't like she had anyone waiting for her at home and she wasn't ignorant, she knew that the one who lived in the tower was the one who manipulates sand and protects the village under the orders of the Kazekage. She had wanted to join the academy to become a kunoichi, but they instead assigned her a mission when she was not even a genin. It was odd and unthinkable, but here she was preparing to go about with the assignment. Many murmured she'd be killed as a sacrifice to appease the beast because of his murderous nature, they spread their stories like a wild fire untamed by the few drops of water of kind supporters. These words were no surprise, she was an orphan. No one would really miss her. The beast the villagers often spoke of, didn't strike her as something so terrible.

They told her she was too naive.

The documents were done and everything was set. She didn't have much of anything aside from one or two boxes containing her clothing and a few other personal items. She lived quietly on her own since her parents died, but now she had to wonder how this new living style would play out. She figured it was a fifty-fifty chance; who could tell how the guardian is like if they have never met him? Her mother once told her to never judge a book by it's cover even though she has never laid eyes on the so called beast. Quietly she lifted the two boxes onto a small wagon, fit for a child really, and after locking her home went towards the outskirts of the village where a ninja would escort her to the tower where the monster lived.

The lamp a man held was bright and easy to spot, but a mask hid his face from view; a fox's grin plastered in red ink on a black surface. He wore a massive coat that swayed gently with the wind. She bowed respectfully, yet he paid her no mind and simply turned to lead her away towards a growing sandstorm. No wonder the elder suggested she move in.

Her eyes were kept to the ground with her vision glued to the Anbu member's feet so as not to get lost or stray from the path they followed. Matsuri tried desperately to ignore the biting stings of the billowing grains penetrating through her clothing and scratching at her skin. She would wince and whimper occasionally while the man in front of her simply went on as if there was nothing even harming him. She began to feel cold as well. The temperature could fall dramatically at night just as it rises in the day, unfortunately, she had forgotten to put on her jacket and was beginning to shiver. The sooner she got to her destination, the better; it wouldn't matter if the person turned out to be a monster as long as it was away from the drilling cold.

The lantern's light in the man's grasp illuminated concrete as they neared a rather large tower. Every light seen through one of the windows were spotted instantly.

"That's strange... was the storm that bad to conceal the lights?" she wondered out loud, half expecting an answer and half not given how silent the escort was throughout the small but dreadful walk. She cautiously continued forward to the entrance with the stranger going ahead of her. Her frown only deepened at how tall the tower really was from up close, whoever, _whatever_, lived here would obviously have no trouble hiring servants to keep the place in top shape.

She watched as the man opened the doors and quietly slipped inside with her following close behind. The entrance was plain and clean, but it was marvelous nonetheless, up the stairway there lined a row of dim candles sitting in a small space on the wall. The wooden wagaon pulled by a single hand creaked mournfully, the sound echoing throughout the hollow place disturbingly. It was slightly warmer here, but chills continued to crawl under her skin and raise the very tips of her hair at the back of her neck.

"Uh, sir?" she called softly. "Who is it I am supposed to meet?"

The figure in front of her remained motionless, standing still as if lost in a trance.

"Sir?"

A hand hesitantly reached out towards the ninja in a effort to get his attention, but the moment her hand made contact with his shoulder, he collapsed in a heap... of sand.

Matsuri let out a loud gasp of fear at the sight of the mask staring back at her with a single visible eye even as no physical body remained.

"So you are the next one, it seems." a voice as cold as the night said calmly through the very surface of the walls andflowing smoothly into her ears. It was soft, yet deep. Alluring, but haunting and void of any emotion.

It was the monster of the sand.

-X-X-X-

**A/N:**** Depending on whether I get a response or not will determine the next update, otherwise I will take my time and that could really be long. If there seems to be any mistakes please don't hesitate to tell me and I'll fix them. The story is supposed to be short so maxium chapters will (and this is just a guess) beten if not less, that means that the following chapters will be freakin' long so if you're not too fond of that then this ain't a story for you. Since it's late I'll look over this tomorrow for mistakes, so for now just ignore them.**

**Til the next update. :3**


	2. Friend

**A/N:**** Yeah, this fic is AU... Kind of. Sorry I didn't include that on the sum or the author's note, thought it was obvious, but at least it's clarified now. To clarify further, I should say that the ages of all the characters mentioned are the same as shippuden, so yeah they're older here. Any other questions about the fic I'll be happy to answer them in a PM or if you're annonymous I'll answer in the beginning of the next chapter in an author's note. I honestly didn't expect much of a response like the ones I recieved. 0.0 Umm... Sorry? **

**Friend**

He could feel the sand raging outside the tower, roaring and twisting with the wind. His eyes lined in black were closed as if in silent contentment, but he was listening to the uneasiness that lay thick in the atmosphere. That awkward silence that hung heavily in the air like a coiling snake drifting about and suffocating the very oxygen away from a poor soul. Hands crossed over his chest clutched at the arms as he listened to the voice whispering in his head about endless possibilities, paths he could take to prove his existence and ease the hollowness of his soul. Red clouded his sight as he remembered the viciousness of past wars and conflicts too difficult for those below him to handle. The screams and the fear wafting from them at the mere sight of his grotesque form. When there stood no more prey to kill and when all went still and quiet, he would slowly revert back into emptiness, even the comrades of the monster that dared not to even get within the vicinity of his reach waited and watched as he gradually returned to normal; at least in their eyes. They all knew well that he was the cause of it, he struck the blows, pierced and destroyed everything until nothing was left.

There laid the heart of the problem. There was simply nothing left at the end of the excitement and bloodlust. Everything returned to silence.

Gaara, the name of the beast that lived over the land of wind was the very meaning of emptiness. He hated it, it was the one thing that haunted him horribly throughout the years; from the early days of his childhood to the present. There was only silence and quiet murmurs from occasional voices of the outside world. This silence humming inside was a disease and the only thing to cure the ailment were those few missions that had a worthy foe put in front of him, worthy enough to make him feel alive. It was evil and vile, something that was hated by normal people, he understood all that, but he couldn't understand why. He was hated, he was something vile and disgusting, his hands were stained in crimson of others whether they were filthy of crimes or not, they were; for there was too much white bleached into his world, covering up the stains of the past. And the pain, oh that horrible pain would come back, always come back and tear him asunder deep inside at the core where there was no armor for him to protect himself.

Teal eyes snapped open at the vivid memories bringing out a dull throb that pulsed lightly at his chest. It was hurting again; that invisible wound made from many years back. Instead of blood that would seep through any sort of injury, it was white and cold, searingly so. It burned, it scratched and gnawed at him without restraint. Loud soundless voices screamed inside him in a horrible tone. He wanted to kill the owner of that voice speaking so painfully at him, repeated his sins constantly. Worthless, unwanted; a monster that no one would ever think to love of their own free will.

He stopped thinking, his eyes fixed on the ground as his breathing that had accelerated began to calm. Sleep would evade him once more it seemed. The night was still young, it would not be until a couple of hours before it would show signs of lifting. The inner torment he suffered was mild compared to when sleep would actually grace over his consciousness. A sigh escaped his dry lips as he relaxed his posture and leaned against the cushions, exhaustion heavy throughout his entire being; another thing he hated. At least there was something to brighten his mood. His eyes trailed over to the fox mask he had brought back up from the entrance level of the building, right where the girl had been standing.

_Matsuri stared at the mask as a single black and gold eye watched her. Her hand had let go of the handle of the wagon she had been pulling. The sight had frightened her badly, she didn't know how she managed to stay standing. The words he had spoken barely even registered in her mind as she took a tentative step back, her foot colliding into the base of the wagon with the single eye following her, never blinking._

_The sand twirled at the ground and molded slowly into a new figure, one that was slightly shorter, but taller than her own height. It didn't blend into any sort of color like that of clothing or a skin tone; it was just a silhouette made up of millions of grains. Only the mask remained on its face with that one eye._

_"The Kazekage must have sent you." he said softly. "Come, I will show you to your room." the smooth voice calmly spoke without loss of its chilling effects. The figure turned away from her starting up the curving stairs into the second floor. Recovering slowly, she picked up the wooden wagon and cautiously followed the sand clone. _

_The warmth radiating from candles they had passed did little to ease her nervousness; the whole time it took to get to the second floor was spent in silence as the clone finally brought her to the chosen room. The floor was completely dark compared to the lower section. No candles or any sort of electrical source shed a strip of light. She wondered if the interior of the tower was larger than it appeared as she followed him to a door at the right side of the large hall. As soon as it had opened and she took a step inside, the sand clone crumbled into nothing but a spiraling mass with the mask at the center and disappeared further into the darkened hall. She watched as it did so, completely missing the eye that lingered high above her line of sight. The sand and mask that had departed from her seemed to ease her a bit as she went forward to set her things inside the barren room, the eye following close behind. _

_He watched as she set out her clothing and personal possessions onto the provided bed, a tight frown fixed upon her features as she pondered over her situation. Really, she had no idea what she was in for in this dreaded place. Right now, it was just the calm before the storm._

Yes, it was indeed just a matter of hours before the long storm would come and destroy everything. This night would be the only night she would ever have a good rest. The next mission he was assigned to wouldn't be until a couple of months. That was far too long for his liking and the small in between missions would do nothing to satisfy him, but he supposed it wouldn't be too bad. Now, he had a friend to keep him company. She would keep the bad things away just like the other one did long before her. His eyes went over to lock onto the worn out teddy bear sitting across from him against the wall. One ear was torn and there were several stitches where it had been sewn whole again. He supposed it was something to cherish. It had been with him ever since he can remember...

Ever since he could remember the face of Yashamaru; his uncle who was his original friend. The only one that had ever went near him without signs of fear or malice in his eyes. A fist clenched over the shirt that covered his chest. He remembers him, no matter how much time progressed or how much he wished it to be, he could never truly forget him. Never in his lifetime. He was the catalyst to all the pain he now felt that no amount of medicine could ever hope to diminish this pain he felt. His ears twitched at the memory of his voice soothing him with comforting words after another incident with another fearful child.

_"Why does it hurt?"_ he would always ask whenever he came at just the right time. His uncle never failed to answer his questions with a soft gaze and a gentle pat on the head.

_"They're only scared because we're different from them."_

Yashamaru was in fact the same as Gaara, although he didn't have the talent of controlling sand, he did have the same ears and tail as him. He lived with Gaara in his own home along with the other residents of Sunagakure as an ANBU member. That was where the fox's mask came from; to hold the memories that would never fade.

His eyes closed again to try and find the peaceful slumber that would no doubt escape from him. He tried to empty his mind of all thoughts relating to that incident of the past, tossed the bear aside under the bed and threw the mask that mocked him with that blood colored grin against the wall, crushing it into large pieces lying on the floor. If he didn't remember then the white hot pain would not bother him tonight. He would have some peace.

* * *

Lying still on the bed, Matsuri stared at the wall through the darkness. She was terribly troubled by the presence of the manipulated sand; the clone did not even bother to tell her his name of the original, but what troubled her most was that cold stare of the eye. It was nothing even remotely close to an animal's; it was completely terrifying. No wonder the villagers were so scared of him, just a simple gaze made her scared beyond comprehension, but there was also something else that flickered over his eye. Something lost in the depths of hate and bloodlust. She couldn't name that unknown glimpse of emotion; she didn't even know if she could even call it that.

"What have I gotten myself into?" she whispered into the pillow pressed firmly against her face.

That night she dreamt about a nightmare and when she woke in the earliest stage of the morning where the light barely passed the darkness, her eyes were streaming with endless tears and silent sobs tearing through her throat.

-X-X-X-

**A/N:**** Ok, I said the chapters were going to be way longer, but right now I don't feel so good and this was all I could muster. Hopefully, I'll feel better, but a bit of a warning that I barely noticed about the way I write: I tend to get over-descriptive at times which may make the story a little... boring. **


	3. Winds, Dolls and Sunlight

**A/N:**** To **lunynha**, I never really thought Yashamaru was a bad guy... but my memory of him is very, very vague. There will will probably be more explanation to his role in the story later on. **

Annabella Colt**- Well then, I suppose this chapter won't be a disappointment, I hope. :) **

**And as for **TooLazyToLogin**, when writing author notes I just say/type whatever's on the top of my head most of the time and the 'sorry' came out as a question in my head. Oh and thanks for the tip, but the word count was way below average in my book. Nonetheless I hope you as well as my other kind readers enjoy this next update.**

**Chapter II: Winds, Dolls and Sunlight**

From the wakening morning, Matsuri could not bring herself to fall back asleep even if it would only be for a mere hour or two. She didn't want that particular dream to be the only one to linger in her head like a thick fog in the back of her mind, but lying on the bed for several minutes with restless eyes was only making it more difficult and the fear more powerful that she gave up and went on to dress for the day and finish unpacking her things from the boxes, putting them away in their appropriate place. Usually tasks like these would be slow and tedious, but being the only thing distracting her, the time went by quick and soon the rays of the sun came alive and energetic from outside the confines of the building. She sat back down on the bed staring at the cracks in the wall that actually reached towards the outside world, she had to wonder how the whole place was still standing tall if it was slowly deteriorating inside.

The sight of sunlight peering through suddenly captivated her, wiping out every other insignificant thought and pulling her in like a lure. Something about the light made her heart sink deep in her chest in a pool of sorrow, she felt the constricting pangs of tears wanting to fall, but she held them in. Angrily, she rubbed her face into her sleeve in frustration that she was displaying something so weak in a place that was not her own, that was not her home where she belonged.

"What's wrong with me?" she muttered as she glared at the wall. Agitated and confused for the sudden emotional feeling she turned away from the wall towards the door. She didn't know how to explain that small outburst of emotion. The light just looked like it was just a memory, offering small drops of solace to the shadows around the small gaps. It made her feel like she was in a cage slowly being drowned in black, where she could see the freedom and happiness of her life erode into nothing before her eyes and she could do nothing about it. It felt like a tomb.

Her hand hovered over the knob of the door as she thought carefully about what she was going to do. What was she really here for? She mulled over that particular question slowly in her head, her black eyes staring at the door's surface as she tried to make sense of this whole thing. She looked around the room in hopes of finding some sort of clue that would help her, but all there was to meet her gaze were nothing but plain walls and the furniture that offered nothing, but their purpose. She breathed out a sigh as she quickly opened the door and cautiously stepped out to explore more of this place and see what she could do.

What harm could come from just a bit of moving and seeing?

Well, there was none really; all the other rooms were exactly the same if not just a little different in the way the furniture looked. It was as if there lived no other being and this was all a deserted building with nothing more to offer but shelter. "Well, I would expect there to be someone else here..." she whispered to herself. As she continued her exploration she listened intently to the birds outside whose songs were muffled by concrete. She passed by more rooms until she came upon a door that was weary and old looking. Cracks were seen and a cold draft passed through its gaps. This door was the same color as all the rest, but this one sent a chill to her soul. Matsuri could not help but take a step forward despite the warnings going off in her head, screaming at her to just carry on to the other rooms, but there was no helping it. Curiosity was a curse.

Unbeknownst to her, the same single black golden eye hovered well above her line of sight, watching her and as part of the being dwelling in the tower, it knew well what she was heading into. Curiosity piqued well into his interest as the eye subconsciously drifted a little closer to peek right behind her shoulder.

A shaky hand reached over to grasp the handle of the door, uncertainty looming heavily over her as she thought about it more thoroughly. It was just a door, right? What harm could come to opening a simple thing? _Something horrible waiting inside... _The thought only made her more aprehensive about opening it. The eye behind her remained patient as she tried to muster up all her courage into making a decision which wasn't long after a twist of her wrist and a sound of a click registered in its hearing. Being a Third Eye; everything would be recorded, sight and sound while touch was still not yet known, it was still a handy skill for spying. The girl gently pushed the door open and took quiet steps inside the darkness where there were no windows or cracks seen at all. Her hand instinctively groped the edge of the wall to her right as the Eye floated above to hide on top of what was a high shelf. It didn't take her long before she found the switch and flipped it, flooding the entire room in light.

Her eyes widened at the the sight that greeted her. Her limbs trembling as she took a few steps back until they stumbled upon nothing. A loud short shriek resonated throughout the room along with a thud where she fell flat on the ground. The Eye blinked once at the slightly unexpected sound and even dared to creep a little closer to inspect her and the uninteresting tools that had managed to bring out such a reaction.

Littered all over the cramped space, hanging on nails and sitting on shelves were various sorts of weapons and home-made puppets with their hidden needles and trap doors attached to their frames exposed for all to see. Many looked broken and old while others looked as though they were still in the process of being built. The blades' edges flashed at the light menacingly accompanied with the grim expressions of the puppet's grins and sneers only enhanced the fear that rolled off her in waves. Her eyes flew frantically throughout the collection of metal, plastic and steel laughing at her face. Cold sweat broke out at the back of her neck as she tried to calm herself and move away from the horrible sight. When she grasped the edge of the doorway she tried to pull herself back up on her feet despite their precarious wobbling and reached for the switch with a vengence, quickly killing off the light and ending the tormenting gleams of swords, kunai knives and other sorts of weaponry.

Again taking advantage of the darkness, the Eye glided unhurridly past the slim space where she had nearly closed the door with her back and reclaimed its spot above her. She was panting now as if the sight had taken a physical toll on her body and this seemed to intrigue the orb, but it has seen quite enough to gather how this little flower from the village below really was. It shattered into small particles of rock and crawled away from the girl, heading farther into the hall where the master resided in the heart of the tower, leaving Matsuri to collect herself into something more decent.

She had stood there frozen in place at what she had seen, felt the horrible fear of nights long passed come back and strike at her; those puppets could have easily been the murderer. Those blades could have easily taken their life and bring about hurt so painful into her soul, could easily take the very essence of her life. The prick of tears at the corners of her eyes stinged, but she dared not to blink and continued to stare and breathe until the muscles in her body would relax.

"Hey!" a voice shouted making her jolt stiff and turn towards the owner with the fear still lingering, but she relaxed a little at the distraction even if it was just for a moment. "What are you doin' here?"

A man with spiky unkept short brown hair trotted over with something wrapped up completely in bandages slung over his shoulders. He wore nothing but a pair of black pants and sandals, leaving his torso bare. His lips were pulled to a tight frown as he came up to her, eyes glaring with a hand tightening its hold onto the white cloth. Matsuri swallowed nervously as she tried to calm her still racing heart and face the man. "Who are you?" he asked finally, staring her down and looking around to see if there was any way she had gotten into the tower or if someone had accompanied her.

"I'm sorry! My name is Matsuri... I was assigned here by an elder of the village to take care of the one who lives in this tower." she moved away from the door and bowed respectfully in greeting. She carefully looked him over to see if he was the clone from the night before, but his eyes told her otherwise; this was not the one who had greeted her at the entrance, not the same being to strike so much darkness in a single look of an eye. "I take that the one I'm looking for is not you, is it?" she asked softly and the male in front of her tensed slightly. His eyes narrowed at her question. No, he was not who she thought he was, he was not something so terrible as to be that of which darkness nurtures. He suppressed a shudder and cleared his throat realizing that this girl was to be what his uncle used to be. What a feeble attempt to heal what was too far gone.

"No, it's not me." he looked away from her to stare at the wall, his eyes taking on a quieter expression. "He's uh... well right now is not really a good time to go meet him." He took a moment to think over her words; he didn't really want to deal with complicationg situations if he could avoid them and the girl didn't look like much of a ninja if she was one. She continued to stare at him until finally he thought it better to let his sister deal with this, she was much better at these things anyway and honestly, he didn't want to have to be a part of all this. "Come on, I'll take you to Temari, she'll help you get acquainted with the place and all that other stuff. Oh, and by the way, my name's Kankuro." he brushed past her to open the door she had just closed and went to place whatever leaned against his back into a nearby empty shelf without bothering to turn on the light. He turned just as soon as he did that to lead her down the hall he just came from, gesturing a finger in her direction to follow.

She did so and followed close behind, but despite his seemingly easy going ways she felt the need to keep her distance. She shook her head visciously from side to side to dispel the negative thoughts from before and replaced her worry streaked face with one of determination, even defying her initial instinct to stay away by taking an extra step to be just a little closer to her guide. No use for her to be concerned over every single thing, right? To further distract herself she looked around the walls a little more, seeing that there were a bit more changes when they had turned towards the right into a new hall. There were pictures now of the scenery that was somewhere near the residence; one with two children playing in a park that looked familiar, but she was unable to place a name to it. Others were of a few shinobi and what looked to be the Kazekage, but she couldn't be sure, it was too faded to tell. They continued to walk until they got to a set of unfamiliar stairs that led down to the first floor.

'Does that mean that we came from a back entrance or something?' she thought as she could see that wooden rails replaced the solid walls housing small lit candals. They reached the end soon and turned once more to enter what looked to be the dining area.

"Go ahead and take a seat, I'm sure she'll come by soon and then we can talk." he gestured to a chair he passed that was pushed up against a table as he went towards the kitchen most likely to search for something to eat or make.

The fear from the weapons had thankfully subsided as she took the seat and waited patiently for someone to come and explain what her purpose here was. The memory of last night was still fresh in her mind and she couldn't help but become intrigued by the stranger. His body made of sand and offering no sort of detail to give her a solid image of his face hidden beneath a mask, nothing but that black and yellow eye as if it was made of gold. Beautiful, but giving off a sense of danger, his voice too, was deep and cold and entirely matching the gaze he sent her. She sighed then, unable to tell if this really was such a good idea to accept, but decided to ignore it and find out the facts, besides she wasn't completely helpless.

"I wonder if I could still work on my jutsu..." she mumbled. "At least with that it won't require holding a weapon..."

"Oh, but that doesn't mean it won't be hard. If you ask me handling weapons seems way more easy than working with chakra alone." Matsuri jumped at the sound of Kankuro's voice invading her ears. He was holding a glass cup in one hand and a plate of cookies in the other. "I didn't know you were a ninja. You weren't wearing a headband." he noted calmly.

"Oh no, I'm not!" she quickly waved her hands in front of her with a sheepish smile. "I mean, I was taught a little when I was a kid, but umm... I'm not that skille. I was really trying to see if I could enter an academy or something so I could learn more, but then I got a call for this uh, mission." she cleared her throat as he sat down across from her. "Does that make sense?"

"Well if you aske me, no I don't think that does. But I can sort of understand why they would ask for your help." he said as he chewed on the snack.

"Really? Why would they?" she perked up slightly, interested in knowing why they would ask a nobody like her for help with such a strong person.

Kankuro was silent for a few minutes, pretending to be busy in eating a cookie and taking his time; completely oblivious to the patient but eager look that the girl shot him.

"Desperation." he said finally, effectively wilting her anticipation. "That Gaara is certainly a handful. More than, actually. So, it's no surprise they would pick off some random person if it would get some matter of results."

"Gaara? Is that his name, the one who controls the sand at will?"

"You've met him already?" he asked, his eyes widening in suprise. The volume of his voice must have been loud because he could see her flinch the moment he snapped his head up at her.

"Uh well, not really. He just escorted me from the village and showed me my room." she made sure to leave out the unnecessary details of terror associated with his gaze. "Was I not to meet him?"

He blinked at her in disbelief but quickly coughed and returned to the sweet in his hand. "No I didn't mean that, he just didn't mention anything to us is all." he assured with a shaky smile. 'Or leave a bloody mess.' He was really surprised that he had actually went out of his way to meet with the girl and even moreso when he didn't kill her. He certainly wasn't kidding when he said that the higher ups were desperate. Gaara was becoming more and more out of control as of late. They couldn't possibly lose anymore ninja to keep him stable, their village would become vulnerable to enemy attack and who's to say that a war wouldn't make him go enitirely insane and destroy everyone? He could only shudder at the thought.

* * *

"I didn't expect for the visitor to come so soon."

A young woman sat cross-legged over a counter in a dark room speaking to whomever laid on the bed covered from head to toe with thick blankets. All around her moving in a quiet hissing motion was a vast amount of sand crawling from the walls to the ceiling, curling and flailing slowly as if trying to catch something invisible to the naked eye. The live particles did nothing to break the woman's firm facade as she sat there calmly. The way the small grains moved reminded her of childrens' hands reaching for flying insects in the midst of their play, however, she was most certain that whatever came into their grasp would definitely not be released until life no longer shined in their eyes or seeped through with each breath.

"I assume she is a ninja of a jonin's level, correct?" she asked quietly as if raising her voice would disturb the calm movement of waving sand. The girl had to be at least of that capacity if she was picked to be her little brother's new '_friend_'. The hissing grew louder as the sand began to rush slightly through, brushing past her feet, but though it was so close she knew or at least hoped that it would do nothing more than that.

The comforters were raised with the body moving underneath. "No... she is... normal." he said softly taking in all the information the Third Eye was able to obtain while he had slept. One finger held onto his closed eyelids as he watched what had happened; her reaction to his presence as a sand clone, when she had went off to sleep and when she had stumbled upon the storage of weapons.

She could practically feel the grin that was no doubt stretching throughout his countenance. A hint of a low chuckle barely being contained whispered through his lips. The blond female stood then, her eyes still trained on the body hidden in the dark where there rested no windows, not even the sunlight melted through the worn walls surrounding him. A shaky sigh was released as she stared at her brother, watching as he moved to lay against his side with his back facing her. His smile died down to a thin frown.

"Someone normal will cure this pain..." he whispered, a hand clenching tight on the covers as the sand dimmed in their slithering. "She will end it all, quiet those voices and set my mind at ease so that I will finally be able to rest easy... That's what friends are for... are they not, Temari?"

She closed her eyes knowing that he meant Matsuri was a normal weak human not fit to become a ninja of the sand. Should he choose to have a fit, the poor thing wouldn't even be able to defend herself. Her green eyes flickered to the lightly colored sand.

Cautiously, she approached him barely noticing the grains of sand curling away from her steps as if she was something to be avoided; someone not to be touched and making clear a path towards the bed. She was just above him now, could see the patch of red messy hair and a hint of tightly shut black-lined eyes. He didn't want to talk with her anymore.

"Of course, Gaara. That's what friends are for." she reached out to him with a hand, her eyes half-lidded in sadness and fear combined in a terrible dance in their depths as she watched the madness swirl about in a silent frenzy around her precious little brother. Her hand was so close to combing through red strands in an attempt to comfort, but instead she felt the rough texture of the sands surface on her fingertips. She stroked the hard surface despite the cold truth that no matter how much time went by, no matter how many times she would try, he would never allow anyone to touch him in a loving manner; be it sister, brother or parent. No relatives, no strangers. Nothing would get past the shell of sand he had been careful to create and control at his will. Not since that night when he was just a child with sand hardened over him to shield him from the bombs, blades and ninja that had come to assassinate him. All friendly interaction ended there, was severed and terminated the following day and brought forth what was now considered the ultimate weapon to protect the land of wind. A dangerous doubled-edged sword that longed to sink down into anyone daring to turn their sword against him, that wanted to rekindle the hurt that had burned at his poor fragile heart.

She sighed again and turned to finally leave the room, making sure to shut the door quietly and went off to meet with the girl that had suddenly captured the attention of the monster hiding in this hollow castle.

Once he had heard the click of the door shutting to a close he opened his eyes. Darkness was all that met his sight along with the silhouettes of the twisting sand. With his enhanced vision he could still see the shards and pieces of the fox mask lying across the room. Without placing much thought into his actions he molded a chunk of the sand into a new, smaller form. It spiraled into a circle in mid-air and began to sprout small short legs, then stretched to form a head and a tail. The face was not made, but instead he used the shards to re-connect and fix the broken old mask, molding it firmly on the creature he had made. When the body fell to the ground it did not break, it simply lay limp on the ground like a corpse.

It wasn't until he added the Third Eye into the equation that it came to life. Thin vein-like lines came forth from the edges where sand met plaster and traveled all throughout its body in broken sections. The inky color painted the very tips of its claws and tail, sand soon became skin, then fur and finally the single Eye snapped open and along with its nimble body jumped to a start. _It is complete..._ His voice traveled into its body as he became the sand itself. Not a moment passed before it dissolved into the building and crawled its way past the door and into the hall. There it sipped out and headed into the opposite direction of his sister towards a certain room.

_Just for a while... I'll observe from a distance._

-X-X-X-

**A/N:**** Yup now I'm satisfied with the length. Gradually it'll get longer, 'cause I have a whole bunch of things planned. Some pretty, some not pretty. You know, all that jazz. Oh and if you haven't noticed in this fic (which I'm sure most haven't) or in any of my other stories, I'm not much on language; there's barely anything. Personally I don't like it and I mean I don't like to use it or speak it. I don't think it matters either, but just to let you know. SO! Aside from that, anyone want to guess what the little creature is? :P**


End file.
